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Thursday, December 31, 2009

It seems like a lot of impossible things have been happening lately. And the new year seems to hold even more whispers of impossibilities about to come true. So, the fact that this new year will be rung in with a blue moon seems extra fitting.

According to CNN:

It happens only once in a blue moon -- and scientists say a blue moon is exactly what we'll see in the skies this New Year's Eve.

Don't expect an azure glow over our lunar satellite, however. The term "blue moon" simply refers to the second full moon in a calendar month, something that hasn't happened on a New Year's Eve for nearly 20 years, NASA says.

So, after the big ball in NY drops, make sure to take a peek outside and check out that rare blue moon!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Which is why I do my live-blogging when he's otherwise occupied, such as on the guy's poker night.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked around 7.

"Revising," I said. "Go away."

He came back in an hour.

"Whatcha doing now?" he asked.

"Revising," I said. "Go away some more."

"That's not revising. That's blogging."

"I'm live-blogging my revisions."

"Looks like you're wasting time."

And I can see how he thinks that--I actually do spend a bit of time setting up the live-blog post, and going back to update it.

BUT.

I actually get more done in revisions when I live-blog this way.

It's because my greatest distraction when working on a manuscript--especially when working on a part of the manuscript that I despise, like revisions--is the internet. It's right there, on the same computer I'm working on. Perhaps because I'm of the Google Generation, or perhaps just because I have the attention span of a flea, I'm used to working with 5 or 10 tabs in Firefox open. I check my email, and in between emails refresh Twitter, and while I'm waiting for an @ reply on Twitter, I open up Google Reader and start checking on blogs I follow, and while I wait for comment boxes on the blogs I follow to open, I hop over to Etsy and browse the soap stores.

Likewise, unless I'm really focused on writing, I'll write a few pages, then skim over to iTunes, then click to my notes folder, and, eventually, I end up on the internet and before I know it, I've wasted a ton of time.

I started live-blogging on a whim, but I've really found it helpful because it reminds me that I shouldn't be on the internet (ironically enough) and that I should be accountable. Recording how much time I work and how much time I goof off reminds me not to goof off every time I write that time stamp in.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

I know this will take more than one round. I'm actually planning on it. I just hope that I can fit my revisions into two rounds!

These revisions are somewhat different from any other revisions I've ever done before, namely because these are revisions suggested by an agent...my agent. So, as opposed to suggestions from beta readers or critique groups, these revisions are very specific (which I'm hoping means they are easier).

Here are my goals:

DONE Revise the pitches I wrote last live-blogging sessions, as well as fix a few grammatical errors in the shortened (and much improved) synopses

DONE Develop my setting more: specifically, give clearer descriptions of the size of the space ship and the number of people on board

DONE Change some details with the main characters' parents' background to coincide with plans for sequels

DONE...or, actually, I decided it would be best to leave her a bit ambiguous. But I did add one clue with her. Develop a minor character a tiny bit more, as she'll play a more important role in sequels

DONE Add a few details and clues in a scene that will be layered in for the sake of the sequels

DONE Change a bit about the ending, making it a tad more open ended (for the sake of a sequel...do you see a pattern here?)

DONE Add a clue about a sequel in an early scene

DONE Alter the ages of a few characters to make them closer in age to the main character (which sounds easy, but will actually pose a bit of a continuity challenge that I'll have to keep tabs on)

That's it. Eight specific things to change, with a clear idea of how to change each one. I'm pretty interested in seeing how long it takes me to do all this, so I'm live blogging again!

Start: 6:51pm...

6:56: Realize that if I'm actually going to do this thing, I'm going to need to turn off Prince Caspian. *sigh*

7:13:

Revise the pitches I wrote last live-blogging sessions, as well as fix a few grammatical errors in the shortened (and much improved) synopses

That didn't take long...but all I had to do was put the paper corrections I'd already made into the computer. But all the files are saved and logged away, ready to be emailed to my agent. OMG IT IS STILL REALLY COOL TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT, MY AGENT.

7:18: I keep checking Gmail, Twitter, and RallyStorm, hoping to find an excuse for a distraction. Not good. Bad author, bad!

7:50: The email was (ironically) about revisions. Also, I started a Google chat about revisions. So, technically, I'm still on topic, yes?

8:01: I have the document loaded on my computer, that counts right?

8:08: I'm tweaking the formatting, surely that counts, right?

8:41: Completely deleted all the formatting. On purpose. Because I did it wrong. Then I redid it. Back to the way it was originally. Also, I changed one sentence. That counts, right?

8:57: Done with chatting, done with emailing, done with interwebs. Time to buckle down properly. *checks list above* OK, I did this:
7. Add a clue about a sequel in an early scene

Current goal: 3. Change some details with the main characters' parents' background to coincide with plans for sequels

9:22: 3. Change some details with the main characters' parents' background to coincide with plans for sequels

9:30: Added a few sentences throughout mentioning the number of people on board the ship (352).

10:12: Still working on making sure the character age changes flow continuously. I knew there'd be some continuity problems with that one.

10:20: Taking a break...

11:02: In reading over my goal of changing the ages and making sure the continuity problems were fixed...I'm calling that one done. I think I've got it covered. But I plan on waiting for tonight and working on all the rest of the edits, then printing it out and doing one last check for that. I think it is done and ready, but this one has so many little details in the ages that I'm going to have to read through the whole manuscript to make sure I've correctly fixed it.

11:03: Back into the fray...

11:44: I...whoa. I've finished everything but changing the end. Of course, I may need to go back and do more, but I'll wait until I print to make sure the check list is truly done. But, actually, it does seem mostly done. I guess all I need to do now is tackle that end...

11:50: Wow. I really don't want to touch that end. I've just gone through the whole lit of email, twitter, facebook, rallystorm *again*...but fortunately (or not) no one's talking to me now. Guess that means I really do need to go back and look at that end.

11:51: (this will make so much more sense when the book is published and you have a chance to read it, but I just want to put this out there: I love Chapter 53.)

12:20: Ummmmm....I think I might be done. Maybe. There was a lot of back and forth and reading and re-reading, but in the end, I added a paragraph. One. And I think that fixed it. Hmm. I'll finish for now, and re-read it later just to make sure.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

I got the husband a zombie board game. This one. And although he wanted to have a guy's night in on Christmas day, I made him wait until December 26th before doing one.

Now he's in the kitchen with his friends, and they're all massacreing little plastic zombies or some such, and I'm locked away in my office/bedroom in order to write.

Unlike other live-blogging writing experiences, this one is different. First, I'm awake and hopped up on the energy drinks (I had no idea that the husband gave me drinks with espresso in them. I thought they were regular hot chocolates, not super-hot choc.) Second: I don't have a clear goal.

Or, rather, I have several goals.

Revise manuscript to fit ideas for sequels

Shorten and tighten synopses for sequels

Write taglines for all three books in trilogy

(PS: Did I tell you that my little book is now a trilogy. Cause it is. HOW COOL IS THAT?!)

I think I'm going to tackle my last goal first. Taglines. That's something I usually struggle with, but fortunately, I've just finished reading a wonderful post by Janice Hardy, author of THE SHIFTER (which is, btw, the best MG fantasy I've read in a looooong time). The whole article is a wealth of information on preparing to market a book (really worth your time), but here's what Janice says about taglines:

Taglines are a great thing to have, as they capture attention and can pique interest. We all know we have to be able to talk about our books in one sentence, but also look for ways that you can promote the book the same way movies do.

So, my goal is to create simple, short sentences about each of my three books that really grab the attention of the reader. This will be the taglines I display on my website, the ones I can use to market the books in other media, such as bookmarks or business cards, etc.

So no pressure. *snort*

It's 9:31PM. Let the live-blogging begin.

10:39PM: Taglines done! Holy crap, it took me over an hour to write three super-short phrases. *whew!* But...at least I have something to show for it.

Book 1:No hope. No one to trust. And no way out. Amy and Elder are supposed to be among the first people to visit a new planet, but with a murderer on board their ship, they may never make it.

Book 2: A new planet. A new chance. But Amy and Elder can only get there if they make their enemy their friend, and find out which friend is their enemy.

Book 3: The ship's landed. The colony's settled. But Amy and Elder discover the real danger wasn't in getting to the new planet. It's surviving it.

My goal with these taglines was to create something short and punchy that showed, primarily, the conflict of the story. The entire time, I had Janice Hardy's post on taglines showing in another window of my screen. Really--she's brilliant.

OK: on to Goal 2--shortening and tightening my synopses. Can you tell which goal I am most reluctant to tackle?

(OK, actually, I'm going to Twitter a bit. Why lie?)

10:46: Tweeting done.

PS: PLEASE feel free to critique my taglines. They seem a bit off here, all in a row. I've worked on them too long for now...I'm going to work on the synopses first, and then come back to them.

10:48: The new plan: Pair each tagline with a pitch paragraph and a shortened synopsis. Cut each synopsis (currently around 8 pages) to no more than five pages. And...go!

11:07: I have successfully copied and pasted the original query into a new document. Not much of an accomplishment. Then I got distracted. MUST FOCUS.

11:24: Wrote second pitch. Not sure how much I like it... will attempt third pitch before working on the second one more.

11:45: I decided I couldn't work without cleaning my room. Cleaned room. Still can't work.

11:46: So, yanno how there was all these post-Christmas sales? We bought a pack of sea-salted dark chocolate...and OMG IT IS SO GOOD NOM NOM NOM.

11:52: *dies of sugary-salty awesome*

12:15: Oh, lordy, I don't think I can let myself be distracted any more. *sigh* OK, back to work.

12:29: I just realized. I've finished the short pitches, and the log lines. And, uh. That means I have to do the work I *really* don't wanna do! WAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12:42: How did it get to be 12:42 and all I've done is open the documents?

12:58: I am fading fast. Need a kick in the pants...or need to give up and go to sleep...

1:13: How can two super-large energy drinks fail me so quickly? UGH!

1:46: Successfully revamped original book 1 synopsis to fit new plot ideas. Also cut down Book 2 synopsis to four pages. This means all the synopses are four pages...except Book 3--which is achingly still at 8ish. Cut cut cut cut cut.

1:54: I DON'T WANNA CUT!!!!!!!!!!!

2:35: omg this one is going to kill me tell my family i loved them don't wait for me just save yourselves.

2:47: Have cut 8ish pages down to 6ish.

3:00 AM: Have cut it down to 5ish pages...and must give up here. All in all, though, I count tonight as a success!

3:16: Just kidding! I couldn't quit...and was able to cut down that last synop to 4 pages. YAY!!!!!!!

This has, truly, been my best Christmas ever. It tops the Christmas when my parents gave me bunny rabbits for presents (really. They bite and pee and poo way too much). It even tops the Christmas the year we went to Disney World when I was three (especially as I was three and don't remember it that well).

This has, hands down, been the best Christmas. And it's all because of that awesome piece of paper with my name on it and an agent's signature on the bottom.

But Christmas isn't Christmas when it's just one person. The best Christmases are the Christmases shared--and it has been simply wonderful sharing Christmas with you all.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

My interview with Query Tracker on how I landed my agent is online now! Click here if you'd like to see the query I sent to Merrilee Heifetz, know my timeline on writing and querying, and see how many queries I sent out.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Most of you are off enjoying the holidays--but I'm still working :( Today's the last day of school, though!

Before the new year begins, I thought I'd leave you with a few good posts I've been reserving for awhile now, waiting to build up a proper linkspam. I, er, had more links than I'd originally thought I had, but this is going to be my last post until after the holidays, so you'll have plenty of time to peruse and clickity click.

Kim Pauley did a post on how much money writers really make, and Genreality had a more detailed post on the subject dealing with one NY Times bestselling author's paycheck.

Janice Hardy is giving a lot of details about what to do after the agent, which I'm finding fascinating. Also: details on writing sequels.

If you missed it, Laura and Lisa hosted agent appreciation day! (And speaking of, Shannon had one of the best stories of signing with her agent. Also: Bria recently signed with her agent, and I have loved her "After the Yes" posts. Also, also: an interview about being agented that's quite well done here.)

Agent Rachelle Gardner gives what I think is the best reasoning on why self publishing does NOT work for fiction writers. If you're a fiction writer who's ever considered self publishing, be sure to check this out first.

If you STILL don't believe me, then read this article, too, about the self-publishing statistics (statistics on cold hard cash, y'all).

Monday, December 21, 2009

Do you know how hard it is to find a music video by a band that existed before music videos? Darn hard, that's how. Still, when I started writing my Music Monday Thank You post, I knew the perfect song to go with the post. So, here's your music video thing.

I get by with a little help from my friends...

Thank you, Robyn, for helping me develop the story as I wrote it. I know I had an easier time of revisions because I wrote the first draft with your comments and critiques to guide me.

Thank you, Tricia, for being one of the very first people to read this blog, and for always, without fail, saying the things that gave me confidence as well as pushed me to be better.

Thank you, Heather, for offering to be my crit buddy, giving me the chance to read your work, and for giving me meticulous, spot-on critiques that made me want to bang my head into the wall because you were always right (and I mean that in a good way).

Thank you, Christy, for being willing to drop everything to help a friend, for reading my work even though I was always slower with yours and I always seemed to dump it on you at the most inconvenient times!

Thank you, Chris, for helping me to cut my excessive words and focus on the story. I cannot see the forest for the trees without you!

Thank you, Erin, for never letting me think negatively, and for being brutally honest. I enjoy being a masochist in your presence.

Thank you, Mom and Poppa, even though you probably won't read this because you think blogs are weird and have no idea why I would ever write anything personal on the web we didn't raise you like that you be careful now are you still eating all your vegetables it wouldn't kill you to wash those dishes with hotter water i don't think that car is safe you better go pump some more air in those tires and put on a sweater it's cold, oh, and we love you. I love you, too.

Thank you, husband, for buying me flowers when the writing goes bad, and buying me more when I sign with an agent.

...and thank you, dear blog readers, for making me smile every time I see your comments. A writer just wants her words read, after all.

Writing is a solitary act. It has to be. But that doesn't mean the writer is solitary, and I know I, personally, am better when I get by with a little (a lot of) help from my friends.

So, who would you like to thank for all the support? Go show 'em you care--either here, or on your own blog! Bet you make someone smile.

First: Thank you all so much for the nice compliments you gave me! Next time I ever feel any shade of blue, I am opening up that post and reading all your wonderful congratulations. I read each and every single one of them, and I treasure them all. Truly. Y'all are awesome and make this whole adventure so much more fun.

OK, let's give away stuff!

Those of you who have been hanging around this blog for a bit know that I'm fascinated by inspiration. I love hearing about how writers come up with new ideas for stories.

In my own writing, I've been inspired by dreams, artwork, childhood memories, and life experiences. And stories. Other stories inspire me--either by making me wonder new "what-if" scenarios, or challenging me to write better than I did before.

With this most recent work of mine, I was inspired by several works of literature and one spectacular movie. The full story is on my website, but here's a quick run-down. (And for those of you with short attention spans: there will be a test later. A multiple choice test, along the lines of "which of these works do you want me to send you for being awesome?")

See, I never set out to write a science fiction/mystery/romance. Never. But I listen to inspiration...

First, I read THE THIEF by Megan Whalen Turner. I won't ruin the story for you, but the unreliable narrator in that story is really a starting point for my own. I love how Turner tricked the reader, and I wanted to do something twisty like that. So, the voice of my main characters evolved from that idea.

Later, I found Mary Pearson's THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX. What I loved about this novel was the way the story focused more on the characters than on the science behind the plot. This was the first time I seriously considered writing a science fiction--her plot was so smooth without going into depth on the science side of it that I couldn't help but start to consider the possibility of using science in my own work, too.

When I read Jeanne du Prau's THE CITY OF EMBER, though, I really started to think of a plot to surround my twisty characters in a scientific setting. The idea of a contained mystery has always intrigued me since my early Agatha Christie days, and somehow the combination of these three books really sparked the idea that became central to my book: a twisty, unreliable narrator; a science fiction light on science; and a contained mystery.

Of course, a writer needs more than an idea. I credit Robin McKinley's THE HERO AND THE CROWN for teaching me what good writing was when I was a wee little thing. That one scene, just at the end of the first part, when Tor and her father find Aerin...that, to me, is the greatest writing of any fictional scene ever written, and the emotional impact of that scene is the one I strive for every time I write.

And while I think the books I mentioned above gave me a firm setting in the plot, protagonists, voice, and twist, I have to give credit to the Joss Whedon movie SERENITY for giving me the idea of the ideal antagonist. I knew I didn't want another Voldemort, another unspeakable evil. I find evil you can almost sympathize with so much more intriguing, don't you?

Finally, I have to give a shout-out to Orson Scott Card's ENDER'S GAME. I read it once, as a kid, and it's one of those books that stick with me. So, while I always told myself I couldn't write a science fiction for kids, there was always a little voice inside me that said "What about Ender?"

So there you have it. While not everything I write has such a direct path back to the books and movies I've read, I can safely link my YA science fiction directly back to these works. Not that I mimicked them, but that I learned from them, or developed new ideas based on what I read. That, to me, is the purpose of reading as a writer.

Now that I have an agent, I want to honor these works that taught me so very much. In order to do that, I'd like to share them with you all! Below is an entry form for a contest I'm going to be holding from now until the New Year. You can select any of the books (or movie) listed above--or, if you don't share my tastes, you can just get a $10 Amazon (or IndieBound or Borders or WalMart or whatever) giftcard and buy whatever it is that you want most or didn't get for the holidays.

Entry is easy! Just tell me in the form (not the comments section here) which book you want. There are lots of ways to get extra entries, too--I really want to spread the word. And if you'd like to join my mailing list, I promise not to spam you, and you'll be my bff.

I am selecting 3 winners for this contest. But, if I get more than 300 followers on this blog, then I'll give one very special surprise not listed here to one of the 300 followers. For every 25 additional followers, I'll give away another prize--so if I get 325 followers, I'm giving away 5 prizes, with 350, I'm giving away six, and so on.

Monday, December 14, 2009

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a writing buddy. The topic of agents came up. She asked if I had any interested agents yet (she knew I was querying), and I mentioned that a few agents were reading.

"You have to let me know if anything happens," she said.

"If I get an offer, you'll hear me screaming from here," I said.

Well, apparently I don't scream loud enough.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (deep breath)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HAVE AN AGENT!!!!!!!!!!!

I am pleased (thrilled, amazed, overjoyed) to announce that I am being represented by none other than Merrilee Heifetz of Writers House.

Yes: WRITERS HOUSE!

MERRILEE HEIFETZ!!!!

HOLY FREAKING COW!!!

<---That's the agency that has MY work!!! MINE! (And it's flipping awesome, too. Have you read about the history of the house?)

*happy sigh of total joy*

Those of you who know me, know I've been trying for awhile to snag an agent. This past week has been one of total AWESOME as I not only got my dream agent, but found out that my dream agent actually likes these little stories I keep writing.

This was, as you can tell, a momentous day. I came prepared.

This is my grandmother's table that I inherited after she died.

I think she'd think it was cool that I signed my agent contract on it.

So, I set the table. First, my black portfolio that I keep my writing stuff in (including my lucky Chinese fortune cookie fortunes). My phone--which has been called from NEW YORK. The flowers my husband bought me cause he's cool like that. Oh, and see that box of pens?

Yeah. I totally bought some pens just for the contract signing.

And then...

OH MY PRECIOUS GOD I AM SIGNING AN AGENT CONTRACT.

Hey, did you see that blue striped box on the table? Yeah, the husband bought me a present. Cause he's totally cool like that.

A new keyboard and mouse so I can write my next agented works in style.

I told you he was cool like that.

...and that's it. I have an agent. OH MY GOD I HAVE AN AGENT OH MY DEAR LORD THIS IS FLIPPING MADE OF WIN.

Stay tuned! I express my squee-inducing joy in the form of contests, and will be holding a pretty awesome one starting tomorrow!!

And hey: faithful blog readers--thanks for the support, love, and reader community you've provided me over the years. You all mean a lot, and it's the best feeling in the world to know that I've got people to share my joy with. You ROCK.Yes, YOU.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Can you tell that I've not had much time to cook supper lately? The fall-to meal has been Chinese. And while I have some serious decisions to be making in the very near future, I think I'm starting to narrow down my choices nicely. I felt a little like the universe agreed with me when I got this in my cookie tonight:

Of course, my husband had the exact same fortune in his cookie, so I can only assume that either 1) We're both about to succeed, 2) the universe really REALLY wants me to get the message, or 3) the fortune cookie people are just laughing at us.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Okay, so this actually happened yesterday, and it wasn't for a class but for a club instead. So, basically, the title is mostly lies.

As some of you know, I not only teach World Lit in high school, but I also advise the Creative Writing Club--a group of teens who want to become writers or poets in the future that meets weekly to discuss their own and others' works. One thing I've started doing recently is coordinating Skype visits with published authors so the kids can have a chance to see what it's like for the real professionals.

This week, the wonderfully amazing PJ Hoover (author of THE EMERALD TABLET, THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD, and the not-soon-enough to be released NECROPOLIS) came to speak to the kids, which was very nice of her considering how some of the kids are such obsessive fans of her work that they treat THE EMERALD TABLET like Edward treats Bella.

So anyway, just before the meeting I was talking to one of the kids (who happened to be extremely excited, but also extremely nervous to meet her hero).

Kid: What am I going to say?

Me: Just ask her all those questions you have about writing. We talked about it last meeting.

Kid: I know...but I don't want to look stupid.

Me: Don't worry about it.

Kid: What other authors are coming?

Me: [starts listing, but Kid interrupts]

Kid: Hey! I know who you should invite next!!!

Me: [amused at her excitement] Who?

Kid: Remember when we read that book about Hell in class?

Me: THE INFERNO, yes.

Kid: You should totally get that Dante guy who wrote it to talk to our club!

Me: ...

Kid: [looks of eager anticipation]

Me: Uh...

Kid: ...Wait. He's dead isn't he?

Me: Since the 1300s, yeah.

Kid: See? I told you I'd say something stupid.

PS: Have you seen my post about the fortune cookie of fortune yet? Cause it's quite....fortuitous. I'm just sayin'. Big announcements coming soon, and I tend to celebrate announcements by giving away stuff, so, yanno, you might want to stick around for the show next week. Oh, and if you haven't become a member of the blog (click on the Google Follow to the right!), then you might want to before, say...Monday.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

To me, this song epitomizes joy and happiness. I watch it and think, Hey. I love the whole world, too. And since I'm feeling particularly joyful today, I thought I'd share this little bit of sunshine.

Now, you know I have to link everything back to writing, right? Well, one thing that I noticed when I was trying to analyze this and link it back to writing was this: this was not necessarily a matter of everyone loving everything--it was a lot of little loves linking up to equal loving the whole world.

We're all like that. We all have little loves that we filter our love of the whole world through. It's our own personal "thing" that we love that helps us to translate a love of the whole world.

That applies to characters in writing, too. What makes your characters love the world? For some, it may be another person (think Twilight.)) For others, perhaps that love is for an intangible thing, like knowledge (Encyclopedia Brown...c'mon, I hope I'm not the only one that remembers him). Or how about a love for a goal--and the achievement (or at least effort of striving towards) that goal is the filter that enables the world to be loved for that character (Harry Potter, anyone?).

When we write, we have to remember that for everyone, there's one thing--be it a person, idea, or goal--that we all love, and that enables us to see the world differently. Defining that one thing for our characters will make us better writers by making our characters more real, more human, and more likable. Even for characters who want unlikable things (Hannibal Lector, Dexter from the recent books and TV show on Showtime), the fact that they have something they like is the key to our liking the character.

OK, if I'm going to mention Hannibal Lector and Dexter, I better end on a positive note. The first vid I've got up there is about a year old, but the Discovery Channel recently released another version. Here's a little more pep for your morning!

So, what make YOUR character love the world? Or, what makes YOU love the world?For me, it's (honestly) writing. Writing makes me think of the world in a different way, a way I love. You?

Saturday, December 5, 2009

I hate word verification. But I'm getting at least 4-5 spams a week (I've been deleting them as soon as I can), and that's silly. I am hoping that if I leave word verification on for a bit, it might make the spammers quit. If not, I'm afraid it must stay on.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

So, I don't usually go for memes, but the book blogger world has one that I do tend to read a lot, the "Waiting on Wednesday" meme, where they list the books they are most excited about reading in the future. I have found many new books for my TBR pile by reading book blogger's WoW memes.

Recently, however, I found one that I am *very* excited about. I don't know why, but lately I've been hard pressed to find a book I was dying to read--perhaps it's because Suzanne Collins' CATCHING FIRE was so good that I was having trouble getting worked up about a book when I compared it to hers.

Ever since she was child, Jem has kept a secret: Whenever she meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die. Burdened with such awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. The two plan a trip to the city. But while waiting to ride the Eye ferris wheel, Jem is terrified to see that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today's number. Today's date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem's world is about to explode!

Wow! I can't wait for this one!!!

So, what books are you excited about? Which ones are on your Christmas wish-list?

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

I've been a fan of Stacy Whitman (founder of Tu Publishing) for awhile now, but although I knew she was working on establishing the publishing line, I didn't realize she needed help with fundraising. WriterGirl brought that to my attention. Really, you should go read her post here--she says it all much better than I would.

My favorite lines from her post:

I believe this idea is as important if not more so than the LIAR cover controversy. Bloggers moved mountains with that campaign and this publishing house aims to bring more books like that to us. They need our help. And I want to do everything I can to help make this a reality.

There are 14 days left on the fund-raising project and there is a lot of ground to cover. And the cool thing is, if you donate, you get stuff back. Please, spread the word. Donate. Contact others who might be interested. There is a fabulous auction going on. There is so much we can do, and not a lot of time left to do it. Please, I want to move another mountain.